Two museums, two unreconciled South African histories
A woman holds a poster outside the house of former South African President Nelson Mandela after news of his death in Houghton, South Africa on December 6, 2013. PHOTO | REUTERS
In November 2013, the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory convened a group I was part of to talk about Mandela’s legacy in a South Africa that was turning 20 in 2014. We dwelt on Madiba’s statement.
“In the life of any individual, family, community or society, memory is of fundamental importance. It is the fabric of identity”. We read with fascination Mandela’s Robben Island diary entries and beautifully handwritten love letters to Winnie.
